Fatherhood
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Terry gets mad at Thanos for taking his little brother away. The two debate what it means to be a "good" father.


_Disclaimer - I don't own Batman Beyond or Avengers. This was written for round four of Fanfic Bootcamp and the goal was to write a good versus evil story. I also don't own Star Wars, Voltron: Legendary Defender or Despicable Me which also feature in this.  
_

**Fatherhood**

Terry always hated the library.

He particularly hated _this_ library.

The teen watched a book fly from one shelf to another as a shadow moved from one place in the library to another. The latest Batman didn't know how he ended up in this specific library. However, his last memory prior to ending up in the library remained entrenched in his mind. He and the other heroes from Earth were heading back when half of the team disappeared, including his younger brother.

Turning a corner, Terry saw in front of him a man who looked like a rocky figure staring back at him. Somehow, Terry knew the man was the cause – why he'd lost his younger brother. And yet, he shouldn't have known. "Give me back my brother!"

"I can not bring back the dead, plus their deaths will bring balance to the universe."

"How does removing half the people in existence including my little brother bring balance to the universe? All I see resulting from this is pain and suffering for those left behind. You can't even begin to imagine what it's like to lose someone, can you?"

"I can't even imagine such loss? No, I lost everything, sacrificed everything." The man motioned down one of the library aisles, making Terry see a young woman with green skin fall to her death, making him cringe. "I lost my beloved daughter whom I loved the most in the entire universe just to bring this universe into balance. She would have understood/"

"Understood? How can any child understand a father who would willingly sacrifice their child? In fact, she didn't agree with your goals in the end, did she?"

The man started walking. "I admit that is my one failing. I should have been firmer, making my children follow my example." The man nodded his head, gesturing to another library isle where a man made a poor attempt at stopping three girls and strange yellow like creatures from pulling books off the shelves. "Take that man, Gru. He should have continued on the path he set out on from the beginning but taught his daughters his ways."

"I don't know. Shouldn't being a parent to someone make _you_ a better person, but you should strive to make your children better people?" Terry glared at the man, crossing his arms in disgust. "I'd say that man is doing a good job by teaching his children what not to do."

"Yet, he also is failing at teaching what you Earthlings consider right, is he not?"

Terry let out a sound of disgust. "Take it from someone whose father did in fact teach him right from wrong but didn't listen until the old man was good and dead. Sometimes the lessons didn't hit home until that point in time."

"Well, perhaps mine did not." The man continued walking, his head turning towards another part of the library. Terry saw two men fighting with lightsabers. "Am I any different than that father?"

"Care to explain?"

"Would not this character you Earthlings call Darth Vader have not sacrificed his own son for the sake of the long-term goal which the man strived for his entire like in the same manner I did?"

Terry frowned. "I don't know what movie you've seen, but Darth Vader sacrificed himself for his son."

"Are you saying he would have not have killed his own child if he did not see it bringing a better good to the universe? He and his emperor did in fact set out to better the universe through their art and form of balance, did they not? How am I any different from that?"

"As I already said," Terry sighed, "It's not even close to the same situation, what with the fact the man killed himself to save his own son. In fact, that man killed his emperor and thus the ideal balance he and his emperor believed in. As I already said, part of being a parent is the child making you a better person. Though to be honest, I doubt Warren would have become a better person through raising me and Matt despite the fact we're not our own child."

"Wouldn't though raising another person's child make you the most ideal parent out there?"

"No, it would not." Terry found himself shocked at the man's train of thought.

The man pointed to another row, this time pointing towards a man wearing an orange and black mask leaning up against the wall. A girl with blonde hair stood nearby, but Terry shuddered, the idea that the man recognized him sending shivers down his spine. The man in question – the one who took his brother from him – motioned down the aisle. "Who is the better father? The man who gave up his child, or the man who took her in?"

Terry frowned. "Why is this idea of being a better parent even so important? Aren't brother good father's in their own rights, because each did the right thing by the child?" The newest Batman turned to look at the man, his mind still contemplating his train of thought. "The question is, did you do right by your daughter. I don't think that you did, because she is dead."

The man glared, giving Terry the silent treatment, before heading to another spot. He pointed to a man teaching a young man. "What do you see?"

"I see a man helping another with his studies"

"So, would you say this – what you call a father figure in your culture – is a good father figure?"

"Well, yes." Terry's eyes strained as the man made a scene flash in front of his eyes, making Terry feel the man was in fact the person making the library strange. The father figure in question now attacked the person he mentored, his arm replaced with a mechanical weapon.

"What say you when that same brother tries killing his brother."

Terry took a deep breath. "Honestly, I don't know their situation including whether they're blood siblings or not, but if they're really brothers I doubt the one would be purposefully trying to kill the other. That's something you don't seem to be getting about family, isn't it? The fact it's one's duty to protect their family regardless of whether they are blood or not." Terry's bright blue eyes blinked. "Wait. This isn't about you."

"Well, of course not. I've already made up my mind. I'm simply trying to convince you I am right."

Terry snorted out his disgust. "Convince me? Of not being like you? No. Since our father's death, it is my job to be father to my younger brother, but I most certainly will not be a bad one."

Terry's eyes opened a closed. He felt groggy as static played across the television. His shoulder stiffened, and he glanced over. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing he and Matt had fallen asleep watching movies. The situation with Thanos wasn't real. Or was it?


End file.
